Water-sealed continuous ingot-heating furnace.



lvm-849.909. PAIENTEDAPR.'9.A 1907.

W. R. MILLER. WATER SEALED GONTINUOUS INGOT HEATING EURNAGE.

APPLIGATION FILBDNOV. 12', 1906.

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PATLLITLD APR. 9, 19o?. W. L. MILLLL. WATER SEALED CONTINUOUS INGoT-HLATING PURNACL APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1906.

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WILLIAM' R. MILLER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FOR- TER MILLER ENGINEERING CO.,

OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

WATER-SYEALED CONTINUOUS INGOT-HEATING FURNACE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed November 12,1906. Serial No. 343.083.

T all whom, I? may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and VState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVater-Sealed Continuous Ingot Heating Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to im rovements in continuous heating-furnaces or ingots, billets, &c., and comprises a longitudinal fur-lA nace open at each end and provided with a way through which ingot-buggies pass, having supporting-tracks laid along the foundation, the bottom portion of the furnace comprising a water-seal portion with submerged tracks, together with coacting turn-tables arranged for vertical movement and rotation to charge into and receive the ingot-buggies from the furnace.

The invention is an improw'fement on that class of furnace shown and described in Let- -ters Patent No. 822,380, dated June 5, 1906,

furnace and illustrating the manner in which the turn-table is'turned to aline with the furnace-tracks. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the line IV IV of Fig. l. Fig. is a similar sectional view on the line V V of Fig. 1.

Referring nour to the drawings, 2 represents the furnace-chamber, contained 'within the longitudinal parallel side walls 3 3 and having a suitable roof 4 of any desired construction, as shown in the patent above referred to, whereby to provide preliminary heating of the air.

The construction as to the air and gas supply does not per se form an important part of the invention, and it is sufficient to` state that the gas and air are introduced into the combustion-chamber 5, from whence the fuel in,

combustion circulates throughout the interior of the furnace toward the opposite end, the products of combustion passing outwardly at one or both sides through outletpi e 6, connected vwith the stack in any suitab e manner. At each en d the furnace is provided with swinging or otherwise suitably mounted doors 7 8, adapted to fit down over or across the ends of the ingot-buggies and to close the ends of the furnace against entrance of air or escape of the gases. rIhe entire furnace construction is preferably provided with a supporting-framework of structural elements 9, as shown, or may be braced 'with the ordinary buckstaves, as desired. i

The lower portion of the furnace-chamber throughout its full length constitutes a waterseal basin 10, the furnace being provided with tracks 11 along its bottom, terminating at each end, as shown. At each end of the furnace structure is also provided a supplemental well or basin 12 1.2 immediately beyond the end walls, in which is mounted upon a piston-rod or hydraulic ram 13 a turn-table 14, provided with tracks 15 of the same gage as tracks 11. The piston-rod or ram 13 projects upwardly into the basin 12 through a suitable stuffing-box 16 and is actuated by a piston or plunger secured upon its lower end and mounted in hydraulic, steam, or other fluid-actuated cylinder 17. Said cylinders, as shown, are located at each end of the furnace structure within a suitable chamber and are provided with proper connections by which the flow of the fluid ,8 5

may be easily controlled by the operator, as will be readily understood. Each pistonrod 13 is provided with a pinion 18 of sufficient length to maintain engagement 'with an actuating rack-bar 19 at varying vertical positions, by which construction the rod and its superimposed turn-table may be rotated a quarter-revolution.

Other mechanism for the raising and lowering of the turn-table and also for accomplishing its rotation may be substituted for the above-specified construction.

The construction and arrangement of the supplemental basins 12 is such as to permit of the lowering of the turn-tables 14 downwardly until tracks 15 will aline with tracks 11 and o'n the same level therewith below the ordinary level or may be raised above the water-level to aline withtracks 20. By such construction the ingot-buggies may be run onto and off from the turn-tables above the IOO waterlevel, and it will be seen that each buggy is thus inde endently manipulated vertically and rotatab y with relation to the upper and lower tracks. l

The buggies may be of any suitable construction or design and may be provided with means for coupling them together in the usual way, and when run into the furnace it will be noted that practically the entire lower portion of the buggy structure will be submerged below the water-level, so that the upper portion carrying the ingots or other articles to be treated is exposed. By reason of the continuation of the water seal throughout the full length of the furnace and also of the basins l2 12 a continuous water seal is provided, through which the buggies pass in their progress into, through, and out from the furnace. By this means the circulation of the gases into contact with the ingots, &c., is in no way impeded, while escape of any gas is entirely prevented.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The invention as a whole is simple, eiiicient, and capable of long-continued operation without liability to get out of order.

rlhe features of improvement may be applied to various constructions of furnaces or incorporated with existing constructions and may also be changed or varied by the skilled mechanic as to different details, but all such changes or variations are to be considered as within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim isl. In a furnace having a bottom and tracks thereon, and means for submerging and keeping submerged such bottom and tracks, the combination with tracks leading to the furnace at a higher level, of a vertically-adjustable turn-table adapted to aline with each of said tracks respectively, substantially as set forth.

2. A continuous furnace provided with a bottom and a pit, means for submerging and keeping submerged such bottom, and verti cally-adjustable supporting mechanism arranged to locate a traveling bugg f or the like with relation to the bed of the furnace, substantially as set forth.

3. A continuous furnace provided with tracks and a pit at each end, means for submerging the tracks and keeping them submerged, and vertically adjustable devices mounted in said pits arranged to locate a traveling buggy or the like with relation to the bed of the furnace, substantially as set forth.

4. A continuous furnace provided along its bottom with supporting-tracks, means for submerging said bottom and tracks, a lower chamber at each end of the furnace.

communicating therewith, upper tracks leading thereto, and a vertically-adjustable turntable having tracks arranged to be lowered into registering alinement with the furnace.- tracks and to be raised into alinement with the upper tracks, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a continuous furnace provided with tracks along its bottom, a communicating chamber, means for submerging the furnace bottom, tracks and chamber, and a vertically-adjustable buggysupporting device having tracks, adapted to be lowered into alinement with the tracks of the furnace, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a continuous furnace provided along its bottom with tracks, communicating chambers at each end, means for submerging the furnace bottom, tracks and chambers and for keeping them submerged, vertically-adjustable turn-tables having tracks located in said chambers, supplemental tracks leading to said turn-tables at a higher level, land means for raising and lowering the turn-tables, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination wi th a continuous furnace provided along its bottom with tracks, communicating chambers at each end, means for submerging the furnace bottom, tracks and said chambers, vertically adjustable turn-tables having tracks located in said chambers, supplemental tracks leading to said turn-tables at a higher level, and means for raising, lowering and turning the turntables, substantially as set forth.

S. The combination with a continuous fur- .nace provided with tracks and a communicating chamber, upper tracks leading to said chamber, and means for submerging said tracks and chamber, of a vertically-1novable stem supporting a turn-table in said chamber having tracks arranged to aline with said furnace-tracks and with the upper tracks, rack-andpinion mechanism for rotating the stem and turntable, and fluide actuated mechanism for raising and lowering the turn IDO IIO 

